How to Choose the Right Grass Seed for Your Livestock Pasture

Learn how to choose the right grass seed, whether it be forage grass seed for hay or pasture, or turfgrass seed.

Forage Grass and Turfgrass
When looking for forage grass seed for hay or pasture, the correct choice will depend on what type(s) of animal(s) you will be feeding and the climate in your region.

Choosing turfgrass seed will depend primarily on whether the grass will be growing in a sunny or shady area. For high-traffic areas such as playgrounds and sports fields, consider a multipurpose grass seed.

No matter what type of grass you are looking for, always double-check that it is adapted to the weather conditions and soil types in your region of the country.

Forage Grass Varieties
At Tractor Supply Company, you can choose from among the following varieties of forage grass:

HorseMax - For horse pasture

PastureMax - A versatile blend of grasses that can support cattle, sheep, goats, llamas, and many other animals

WildGameMax - For attracting wild game such as deer and turkeys. Primarily composed of annual grasses that need replanting each year.

Double Barrel Brome Grass and Double Barrel Orchardgrass - Both are cool-season grasses suitable for making hay. Brome grass does well in arid climates and marginal soil conditions. Orchardgrass is considered more palatable than brome grass, and requires better soil and more active management.

Bermuda grass - The best choice in Southern regions where temperatures typically climb above 80-85°F. Bermudagrass is a warm-season grass well adapted to extreme heat and humidity.

Turfgrass varieties

Sunny
Recommended for areas receiving sunlight 8 hours or more per day.

Sunny Lawn Seed Mix is great for residential lawns, playgrounds, parks, and landscaping. It features:

• Rapid establishment for quick “green up” of tired old lawns
• Widely adapted for many uses. A good choice for hydroseeding
• Endophyte enhanced for natural, chemical free insect resistance
• Proven winter hardiness and summer heat and drought tolerance
• Excellent overall disease resistance for less chemical reliance

Perennial Ryegrass - Germinates quickly, and its dark green color will persist year long with very little fertilizer. Perennial ryegrass is ideal for home lawns, athletic turf, parks and play areas.

Northern Mix - Formulated for outstanding winter hardiness and excellent summer heat and drought tolerance. Noted for rapid recovery from over use and wear, this mix is ideal for sports fields, playgrounds, parks and home lawns. With good overall disease resistance, it requires less chemical reliance.

Kentucky Bluegrass - Has excellent wear resistance, making it almost “kid” and sports proof. Its rich, blue-green color is aesthetically appealing, and the tough, durable sod is self-repairing and very low-maintenance. Kentucky bluegrass has excellent overall disease resistance requiring less chemical reliance.

Bermudagrass - The most widely adapted warm-season grass. It is easy to grow in most soils and is drought-tolerant and durable. Bermudagrass requires very little maintenance.

Centipedegrass - A good low-maintenance warm-season grass. It adapts well to poor soil and is aggressive enough to crowd out most weeds.

Bahiagrass - A good, low-maintenance grass and develops an extensive root system, which makes it an ideal choice for erosion control and low moisture soils. It is moderately aggressive and has good wearability.

Shady
Recommended for areas receiving sunlight 4 hours or less per day.

Shady Lawn Seed Mix - A general-purpose mix for shady areas that thrives across a wide geographical range and produces an attractive, green lawn. These grasses require comparatively little water and fertilizer, and are characterized as deep rooting types which are drought tolerant and compete well with tree roots. This mix also features improved resistance to powdery mildew and leaf spot.

Creeping Red Fescue - Spreads by means of underground shoots or “rhizomes”, which facilitate the quick repair of damaged turf, and enhance the establishment of new stands or thin stands. Creeping red fescue germinates, establishes quickly, and grows into a high quality turf with a dark green color.

Multipurpose
Multipurpose grasses - Formulated for heavy-use areas such as athletic fields and playgrounds.

Playground - Excellent tolerance to high traffic and is ideal for athletic fields. Grasses chosen for this blend have been selected for naturally dark green color, needing lesser amounts of fertilizer to maintain an appealing color.

Kentucky 31 Fescue - Excellent heat and drought tolerance and maintains a medium green color throughout the summer months. Kentucky 31’s medium-coarse texture and outstanding wear tolerance make it ideal for high-traffic areas.

Quick N’ Easy - Quick to germinate and fill in bare spots. With its dense sod, it is perfect for high-traffic areas.

Turf-Type Tall Fescue - Good for sports fields, playgrounds, parks, and residential landscaping. It is excellent for both shady areas and sunny areas, has good heat and drought tolerance, and good disease resistance. It is endophyte-enhanced for insect resistance and provides a tough-wearing and hard-playing surface.

Annual Ryegrass - A cool-season grass that forms a medium-to-coarse textured lawn. In areas where there are mild winters, it is often overseeded on dormant warm-season grasses to provide winter color.

Landscaper mix - A good all-purpose mix that produces a low-maintenance turf with excellent disease resistance. Landscaper forms a durable turf that is ideal for high-traffic lawns.